HK Independent Traveller Blog

Goga, Shanghai

2012-02-12T04:10:00.000-08:00

My business friend is very nice of bringing me to Goga, famous for its truffle oil cuisine as told. The owner and chef is Brad Turley, cooking Cali-Asian food. It is a cosy little place, opened for two seatings at night, 6.30 and 8.30 pm. It's always full. Reservation is a must. A waiter called us half hour prior to the show time, making sure we would turn up. Each round can accommodate up to 20 people. Service is super quick. You get your dish soon after the order.

Appetizers came West Coast Lobster Roll and Sizzling Kampachi Sashimi. The sashimi was excellent. Fresh firm half cooked fish swimming in white soy and white truffle. The fragrant mixture lingered in the mouth, trying to swallow it till the last second to enjoy the precious moments. The lobster roll was good but still better if the roll was kind of Vietnamese rice roll which is neutral and not taking away the flavour and rich lobster. It's my thought.

Duck Confit Salad came next. Crispy duck and a bit sweet salad. Hmm, my best duck confit is from Bouchon Bistro Français, Hong Kong. We mixed the duck meat together with the salad. So, we could not differentiate the duck from the fresh salad.

We picked pan fried snapper and braised ox cheeks. The latter's texture is like traditional Shanghaiese braised beef dish. One of the business friends was certainly not impressed. Honestly, I think the Chinese one is more delicious and a better value.

The best came the last: Chocolate mousse. We three shared one. Gorgeous! At the bottom is mille feuille, the middle a rich layer of milk chocolate mousse, top with crunch and blueberry. Yum yum!

Address:
1 Yueyang Lu,
near Dongping Lu

Reservations:
6431 9700

Hong Kong Wetland Park 香港濕地公園

2012-01-22T05:09:00.000-08:00

2 Jan 2012

New year started with the nature, a tour at Hong Kong Wetland Park 香港濕地公園, observing birds spending their winter in warm Hong Kong. It was arranged by a group under Shatin Baptist Church. Wetland is a the place where the sea meets the land. Typical characteristic is mangrove proliferation. It is also a place as birds' paradise, an ecosystem that can be watched and extended. Extension links to mankind's treatment to the nature. Hope it will stay.

The trip started with happy birthday, to Nelson. A nice yummy cake added us energy to be burnt during the trip. Well, not all can be consumed, but accumulated as fat.....

A guardian of the park gave us a briefing and advised the itinerary of the day. Barren houses are seen on the way. Soon came tranquil and natural scenery. Flowing river, flying birds, sitting birds, big and small. All can be named, by the guardian. We could see the birds through a telescope. Sharp eyesight of birds, feathers in layer, brown, white, grey. Single, a few or huge groups of birds could all be in view.

We were led on a floating bridge. It has no hook nor nail but can float. We passed through the border. Wired fence is high up to prevent illegal immigrants. Then we reached a birdview house. Thousands of birds gathered at the wetland. Some birds sitting alone high, remained elegant, seemed to show off. One was a blue kingfisher. Gorgeous!

Birds coming back to rest. We slowly left the wetland, going back to the noisy world, resting for a night and living on another hectic day. It goes round and round, never ending till one day.....

Spalt

2012-01-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

24 July 2011

It's the next day that we arrived in Germany. We first visited Grandma in the hospital. She was happy to see me. Her operation made her suffer much. She was so tired to fall in sleep in about a half hour since we were there.

My friend's parents live in Nűrnberg, part of Franconian. We passed by Schwabach and a few villages then came to the Gasthof 'zum Heidenberg', a little traditional Franconian restaurant. It has been standing there since 1624. It is famous for its game and meat. It raises its own boar. Many families come here for casual lunch, reunion and celebration. Even I am not a person for big meat, I will recommend it. See my dish! It's good and huge. The meat was tender and full of flavour. The chanterelle, spätzle, vegetable together... A wonderful meal.

The drive to the gasthof and further away is small streets on the country side. Blue sky, white clouds and little traffic. We were heading to Spalt, a very old town (1200 years old) in the district of Roth. It is famous for the hop, grown for making beer. It's said that people in Spalt grow very old. Thank you to its beer!

Weather became gloomy. We came to a tower. A woman greeted and invited us to visit the tower. It costs €1 per person. Staff at the greeting hall was very friendly, trying to tell tourists everything about the history of the tower.

Each floor has a themed display. It's all about life in the old days. The first is a barber shop. Wash basin, permed hair model, perming hair machine, hair dressing chair and mirror. The stuff is not so different as observed in the 70s. Not sure how old they are. Next came a shoes shop. Different tools, sewing machine and a specialised machine polishing the sole are show. It looks so alike the modern machine. Amazing! When ascending to an upper floor, it shows a normal residence. I was fascinated by the kitchen with an oven. The sleeping room shows a typical family with a baby bed, double bed and a wardrobe. Wow, it's a living museum!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

2011-12-11T03:31:00.000-08:00

27 July 2011

Youth Hostel

It was my second time visiting Rothenburg but this time on my birthday, with Family Heim. It is a walled medieval old town, along the Romantic Road in Bavaria. I remember that there was an Umzug the first time when I was there. People in medieval clothing were marching and performing. There was a great view out from the toilet window of the youth hostel, lush green, endless and romantic.

We had a cosy breakfast at home in Nürnberg. Then we drove for an hour to start the lovely visit. Sunshine blessed the day. My birthday was filled with beautiful unspoiled medieval buildings, green surroundings, laughter and memory.

Many buildings have signs indicating the business that the shop is in. Cute! We passed through a gate, beautiful houses and then arrived at the Marktplatz where the Rathaus and major buildings are standing.

To have a great panoramic view of the town, we ascended to the roof of the Rathaus. It's a narrow rounded top allowing limited number of visitors. Be sure to get there. It's worth the efforts and money.

The town is old but it's also creative. A shop selling teddy bear shows bears as important musicians. Great names of Beethoven, Bach, Schumann, etc.

After lunch we walked to the surrounding of the old town, bathed in the greenery and under the sunshine. Sights of isolated church, randomly scattered houses, nice private gardens, stone bridge. All can be described as picturesque.

Slowly we walked back to the town via a gate. Sorry, don't know the name. There are many gates at different points of the wall. Ascending from any point to look at the town and the surroundings. Everywhere is shown with names of donators from all around the world.

One of the spots worths photography is Plonlein, that I learnt about it after the trip. Well, my photo is certainly not among the best, but an impression for a desire to visit next time you will be there.

St Jakobskirche (church) is a gigantic landmark of Rothenburg. The Gothic church houses a famous masterpiece by Würzburg sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider, the Holy Blood Altarpiece. In the centre is the Last Supper carved in wood. The expressions of the figures are very real. Superb technique!

Close to the end of the visit came we to the Burg Garten. A man performed music with a special instrument, family and friends relaxed, tourists wandered around. One can get fantastic views of the town and the surroundings.

Time to go, goodbye charming and eternal Rothenburg. This birthday is one of the happiest in the recent years.

Singapore Delicacies

2011-11-11T23:25:00.000-08:00

I was lucky to sample a number of Singapore Delicacies during the recent business trip. First to mention is the national dish - crab. We went to a No Signboard Seafood that local families go. Target: White Pepper Crab!

Let's start, hooray! One Sri Lanka crab for two of us. Spicy scallop, prawn roll and Samal Kangkong 馬來风光, morning glory fried with chilli paste. The signature dish is White Pepper Crab. It is cooked with spring onion and ginger, looks the way my mom cooks at home. I like its sometimes dominant and sometimes subtle white pepper fragrance. I could taste the natural sweetness of the crab. Big piece of crab meat, double happiness. Marvelous!

One can order scallops cooked in different ways. We asked for XO sauce, turning out very spicy but pleasant. Yum! The prawn roll was relative so so standing next to the fantastic dishes.

Two nights later, Jacky took us to a local but more touristic and pricey restaurant, Sin Hoi Sai at Tiong Bahru. Prawn fried with oat is interesting and so as the coffee ribs. But once the Black Pepper Crab was on show, they were compared down. The crab was pungent, tasty and very nice. But we were filled up with quick, with the other two dishes and drinks washing down the spiciness.

If you ask me which is more my favourite, I will say the white one as I could taste more the natural taste of the crab. Certainly, I will eat them again in the future whenever I am in Singapore again. But I will try local restaurants in public estate, if I can find one, more authentic and with more reasonable price.

Tauhu Telor

7 of us had lunch on the day I left Singapore. The venue is Island Café at Tang's, a corner around my hotel. The most impressive is Tauhu Telor deep fried tofu and eggs served with soy sauce, garlic and chilli. It's simple, crispy and delicious. The platter with satay and deep fried was good. I tried a spring roll. It's fabulous, from a person seldon eating deep fried food. Imagine, how good it is. Singaporean chefs do wonderful deep fried, not oily, crispy and not filling up easily. Like!

A local salad with soy sauce dressing is also very welcome. Different kinds of vege, slightly sweet dressing, fresh and mouth washing.

We also ordered Chicken rice, Lobster Laksa and Prawn Mee Soup. Chicken is tender and juicy. However, I preferred Hainan Chicken Rice, for its rice mingled with chicken fat. Laksa and Prawn Mee Soup were intensive. Sharing in group is not favourable as the noodle gets cold soon. One does not have the enthusiasm of eating it when after the stage of piping hot has gone. Too many choices on the table and everything is appealing. When it's down to the signature noodle dishes, lobster is rough and noodle was no longer hot. No desire to sip and eat the soup. A pity but the whole meal was very enjoyable, together with 7 beauties. Yeah!

There are many food courts and stalls around Singpapore. You may spend a handful of money or very little to have good meal. Good luck! Stick to the locals to chase after good food!

Marina Bay Sands and Tourist Spots Nearby

2011-10-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

It's another time this year visiting Singapore for work. Last time we had a luxus dinner at Marina Bay Sands, having superb views of Singapore's skyline from all perspectives. It's a pity that we could not admire the beautiful outlook of the modern architecture of the casino itself. But this time, as I came the first night alone then joined by other colleagues, I had the freedom of having a closer look yet with some distance of the marvelous building group. Ajadcent is the ArtScience Museum in the lotus flower look. They complement each other, leaving audience an unforgettable impression of Singapore.

Anshu (ex-colleague) addressed my desires for the outlook of Marina Bay Sands and Singapore crab by bringing me to the Esplanade. It is a theatre built in the shape of durian and situated next to the Singapore River. It's 6 hectre large. The theatre can sit 2000 people. It stands proudly at the waterfront, competing attention with the nearby Marina Bay Sands. Outside is long corridor that people can stroll along and enjoy the open space and appreciate the glittering surroundings.

Strolling along the street leading closer to the Fullerton Hotel, the Merlion came into sight. It is a mythical creature with the head of lion and the body of a fish. The name combines mer, the sea, and lion. The fish body symbolises the origin of Singapore as a fishing village. The lion head reminds the original name of Singapore, lion city.

Around 9.30, a faint laser shined from the centre of the ArtScience Museum. Then the top of the Sands building glittered with laser effect. Green, white light shot from the top. Music heard. The laser show began. Without knowing before, we enjoyed the visual views with surprise and delight.

Lucca

2011-09-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

I heard about Lucca since quite a long time ago, said one of the very beautiful towns in Tuscany. A picture of the oval-shape Piazza Anfiteatro drew my attention and cultivated a desire to visit. It is a medieval town, the only one in Italy which is totally surrounded by a wall, since 16-century. Ascending to the wall, stroll and enjoy a fantastic view of the town from all angles.

The town is dotted with numerous Romaneque churches, palaces and shops. It was a rich merchant town but the pace nowadays is never quick, holiday.... We enjoyed the town by walking around it, passing through lanes with medieval houses, walking on the wall.....

Well, a few highlights..... Duomo di San Maritno, superb architecture signatured with white and green exquisite marble. One of the outstanding pieces of art is the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto (wife of the ruling Guinigi), elegant and peaceful. It was sculpted by Jacopo della Quercia.

Piazza Anfiteatro is a landmark of Lucca. We had a glance in the evening. It's a residence but the ground floor of all buildings is transformed to restaurants. Guess all residents have late nights, at least in summer. Nevertheless, the piazza is charming.

Not to be missed are Chiesa san Frediano and Chiesa san Michele. San Frediano has a beautiful Byzantine/medieval style golden mosaic facade. The highlight inside the church is a 12th century Romanesque baptismal font. It is composed of a bowl, covered with a tempietto, resting on pillars, inside a circular basin.

San Michele is stunning and admirable for its mighty facade. It occupies a central location, full of life. Century old nearby houses are watching the church and people passing by or sipping a coffee in a cafe at the square. Inside the church are a Madonna with child by Andrea della Robbia and a panel by Filippino Lippi portraying Four Saints. Lucca is the home town of the famous composer Puccini. But not much publicity except a statue nearby the church, a museum and concerts

Our last highlight is climbing the Guinigi Tower, part of a palace and the roof is filled with trees. From there you can a panoramic view of Lucca. Beautiful!

Our farewell to Lucca! My friend felt very bad at the end, heavily sick and weak. Then there came the strike of Italian train. It stopped at nowhere. Fortunately, we were picked up by a friend from Milan, 160km away. A big thank-you!

Pisa

2011-08-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

20 July 2011

It was a sunny day, the best of the 3 days in Lucca and Pisa. The beauty of the buildings shown to its best. We got off a station prior to the main railway station in Pisa, getting through a normal street in the town, the baptistery came in sight, became concrete and admirable. The famous building group is situated on a lawn, white marble on the green, a soothing contrast - gorgeous!

Everywhere is full of people. All came for the leaning tower. It is really stunning. Our attention was always on the tower and shot it from all prespectives. Most tourists were posting as resisting / supporting the 'falling' tower or gave it a kick to accelerate the fall. We? We did not take such post. It costs 17 Euro to climb the tower. We did not but bought a 10 Euro joint ticket to appreciate the Sinopia, Duomo, baptistery, Camposanto and the cathedral museum.

Frescoes can withstand time but must be painted on a fresh base. It means they have to be completed quickly. Once they are dry, they cannot be touched up anymore. To overcome this disadvantage, a sketch or underdrawing (sinopia, a town at the shores of the Black Sea providing the reddish-brown pigments) is drawn on the wall. Pisa Sinopia shows the underdrawings of the Camposanto frescoes, which was mostly damaged in 1944. The sinopia was removed and restored. Now it is displayed in a high-ceiling chamber covering two floors.

Having said about the Camposanto, here shows some frescoes. The rich showed their dislike of the stinking corpse by using their hand to block the smell. The other shows the dead suffering in the hell. This is part of the famous frescoes depicting the Triumph of Death, by Buffalmacco. It is one of the most insteresting examples of 14C Italian painting. It was probably painted shortly after the plague epidemic of 1348, illustrates the vanity of earthly pleasure and the shortness of life.

Not getting less attention than the leaning tower is the cathedral. The simple Pisan styled Romanesque is clean and classic. White and pastel green marble demonstrates elegance. See the external art decoration, motifs, bronze doors, sculpture.... It is so beautiful! The interior has got impressive gaint nave. Of special attention is a spendid pulpit by Giovanni Pisano, a master piece of strength and delicacy.

Pisa Baptistery is majestic, both in terms of the artistic value and the immense height. The first two levels were designed in the Pisan Romanesque style. The second floor is decidedly Gothic flavour.

The exterior is beautified with exquisite sculpture and columns. The interior is impressive of the giant height and the amount of light penetrated in. The pulpit is designed by Nicola Pisano.

The Duomo Museum houses a nice collections of art. First and foremost, you've got a fabulous view of the learning tower. The tour in the museum starts with funeral monuments. The Treasury displays two 12C Limoges reliquaries (11C ivory chest, a small 12C silver gilt Crucifix), sculptures, colourful and artistic antique books.

Pisa's beauty is not limited to the Leaning Tower but pretty squares, churches dotted around the city and its river. Spacious and tranquil Piazza dei Cavalieri lies in the heart of this medival town. It is frequented by university students. The square is dominated by the palazzo dei Cavalieri, commissioned by Cosimo I de'Medici, an authoritarian ruler of Tuscany. The statue in the middle of the square demonstrates his power and mightiness.

Head to the river and you will soon find the elegant facade of Santa Maria dells Spina built of white marble standing elegantly, proudly and admirably as another landmark of Pisa. It is a little gem of the city, suggested by its name, for its proximity to the river, small size and wonder Gothic pinnacles.

Lugano

2011-08-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

16 July 2011

Lugano, largely a Swiss lake city, but under the joint influence of Swiss and Italian. It was previously an Italian town but took over by the Swiss since 1512. It is now Switzerland's third most important financial centre. Ha, HSBC erected a building in the little town centre. Apart from playing its economic role, Lugano is also a magnet attracting tourists with beautiful parks, flowers, churches and villas.

We headed from Milan to Lugano. The journey lasted a bit more than half hour by car. Getting away from Milan to the highway takes some time. I forgot to take my passport. Fortunately we were not stopped by the custom at the border. A good start of the day.

My first visit to Switzerland is 1991. Lugano is different from my impression of Switzerland, nice country houses, green mountain and picturesque surrounding. I don't mean it's not beautiful, but different from my impression.

We parked the car at a multi-storey car park. All full and finally we found a spot on the upper floor. As long as you are heading to the direction of the lake, you won't lose your way. We first passed through a park, a villa as the focal point, green, relaxed and surrounded by flowers and modern sculptures. At the edge of the lake is a pleasant path, planted with many flowers. It was dotted with locals, tourists, lovers and people with deep thoughts.

We visited Santa Mario del Sasso, a fourteenth century building with sixteenth-century frescoes. They are well preserved and definitely worth a visit.

As a Swiss town, Lugano shares the luxury of this rich country. Gorgeous buildings are full of luxurious shops. Good is that this city is decorated with modern art.

Shanghai, French Concession Area

2011-06-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Shanghai is a vibrant city. Changes happening everyday. There were only 2 subway lines in 2007 when I first visited. Now, 11 lines! Tremendous! I visited most of the tourist spots and a waterway town. Strong impression on the historical buildings at the Bund and the picturesque Sitang, a waterway town close to Shanghai where Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible III was shot.

Lately, I could spend a weekend free during my work in Shanghai. This time, I opt for a quiet strolling in the French concession area and experience more of the ordinary life.

My day started with a visit to Eileen Chang's 張愛玲 residence. It's only passing by, taking a picture outside the building. She was a very famous writer at her time and is still so nowadays. Her works are often filmed. Famous ones include Lust, Caution and Love in a Fallen City.

Then I turned to Yanqing Road 延慶路 a street with glimpses of ordinary life. Aged nice houses are all the way.

The French Concession area is huge. The obvious characteristic is trees along both sides of streets. Speed is lower and less bustling than the other areas.

宋慶齡基金會

The next day I walked around Ruijin Road. There is the beautiful Ruijin Hotel. The atmosphere is like back to the 1940s. A big park, nice buildings and restaurants. Totally another world from the outside.

Ruijing Hotel 瑞金賓館

Sinan Lu is a street with beautiful houses. They are converted to hotel, bars, restaurants, museum, etc. A nice stroll around the area.

上海思南路, Sinan Lu Shanghai

Don't miss out a very good noodle shop, 阿娘麵. Its fish noodle is fabulous. Long queue, quite some waiting time to buy a ticket, get a seat but it's worthwhile. Fresh fish and tasty soup noodle. Just RMB20 for a sumptuous meal. Don't be scared by the service lady. Their hot temper is attributed to the restless hours.

上海阿娘麵

Small shops of dumplings should not be missed too. Cooking in soup or pan fried ones are very good and cheap. One cost RMB7.5 for lunch and the other RMB8. The fried dumplings were so juicy and wonderful.

Guyi Hunan Restaurant, Shanghai

2011-05-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

Guyi, complimented with high quality and consistency restaurant in Shanghai. It serves Hunan dishes. It lives to the compliment. A fantastic restaurant delivers first class food. Not a dish disappoints its pilgrims.

We were a big group, having a business lunch. Appetizers did a great job to impress. Hunan dishes are famous for its spice. But none of the appetizers was spicy, threatened you to succumb. Only got you to raise your thumb and say good.

This Hunan braised pork, a dish deep in Alex's memory. It delighted my taste buds. It's sweet and not spicy. The spicy prawns were a enchanting experience, delible and never forgotten. Chunky prawns went wonderful the spice, stimulating desire to have a more and another more. I had two.

The cow frog was huge. Flesh was tender, not super hot but heavenly.

A few mild dishes: refreshing lotus roots were crunchy. Mixing with ginko blioba and black mushroom. Different textures and good tastes. Smoked fish, common in a lot of cuisines in China.

Spice can be like a fierce murderer, killing for your breadth, making you sweat, but doesn't stop your desire to grasp more to satisfy the hungry stomach.

Last came a mixed mushroom soup, precious and delicate. More appreciated by Chinese. The taste was not complicated and volatile like the other spicy dishes but excellent.

89 Fumin Lu,
near Julu Lu

Shanghai 2011 April

2011-04-25T02:33:00.000-07:00

Another time in Shanghai, a few hours prior to heavy working days. The Bund was my first choice, for a glance of the skyscrapers, people enjoying their leisure time in the early evening. The Bund can be reached by underground. Arrive at NanjingEast and take exit 2, turn to the street of the same name and walk to the end.

The Bund is certainly interesting and a highlight. But family and people gathering there to enjoy a nice weekend is also a pleasure to observe. Gadgets seem a fashion nowadays, older or younger generation.

Strolling along the Bund, its groups of historical buildings and along NanjingEast Road seems like back to the old days. Peace hotel 和平飯店 has a spendid lobby with gorgeous art / sculpture reflecting life in Shanghai of the time. Music played in the lobby, guards watching everybody to prevent photo shooting.

My time at the Bund and NanjingEast Road came to an end very quickly. It's time to rush back to the hotel to meet a business friend. I could not see the Bund in the night as I did in 2007, a alone feeling back to 1930s and 1940s in black and white.

A very surprise, I was brought to a German pub, Paulaner Bräuhaus. It is situated in a nice district, on Fen Yang Road. Music was loud. It's difficult to talk. White asparagus was offered. We ordered the seasonal white asparagus with Salmon and Wiener Schnitzel respectively. The asparagus was very thin, like female's fingers. In Germany it is thick as men's thumb. The schnitzel was not authentic. A bit disappointed but it's good to meet a friend.

Jardin De Jade, Shanghai

2011-04-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

Double A, Alex and Ada plus myself had dinner together after a busy day. February days were still cold in Shanghai but tolerable. Ada took us to a sumptuous restaurant, Jardin De Jade 蘇淅 at ChinAn District. I am not a person of spicy food. However, among all the dishes, the spicy beef was my favourite. The assimilation of chilly spice into the tender beef. Spice rose within the mouth, woke up the mind, the taste bud, pleased one's feeling. Great!

Shanghaiese food serves cold appetizers. Stick to the eating convention, we ordered spring onion chicken and smoked fish. Both served to delight us. Good job!

Deep fried shrimps, hmm, not as adorable as its cousin, river shrimps. Some left on the dish. Vegetable dishes were fine and light. Spicy soup, one serving was far too big for three of us, no matter how nice it was.

Fried juicy dumplings were a substitute of 生煎飽. Minced pork wrapped in flour pastry. A typical savory snack.

We were full but I insisted for sweet snacks, kinds of dessert in Chinese kitchen. Pumpkin-like steam pudding and date pudding ended the dinner with a delighted full stop. We were happy. Good night and hard work again tomorrow.

No. 1121 YanAn Middle Road, Shanghai
021-6248 5155

Lago (Lake) Como

2011-04-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

14 Sep 2010

My second time in the area, Lago Como. Back around 10 years ago, we hopped between towns along the lake. This time, with the same trip partner, we went to the town Como by train. It takes about an hour from Milan Cadorna station and costs not so much. It was a nice day, blessed with sunshine, blue sky and awesome scenery.

Our first spot is Basilica Sant'Abbondio, a bit outside of the town. It's Romanesque, raw and mighty among the other architectural styles. Inside are fabulous frescos. The church has been standing for over 1000 years. Isn't it great?

The most striking momoment in the town centre is definitely the cathedral, mixed Gothic and Renaissance styles. It stands at the focal point of the busiest square. Facing it are a few restarants. Mostly pricey and touristic but one in the corner offered pizza along with water, coffee at a very affordable price. A good deal and a good place to glimpse Italian life. September, no longer peak season for tourists.

It's a lovely walk along the lake. Weekday, citizens were layback. Some laid on the grass in garden along the lake. Beautiful houses, art, Volta temple, people, relaxed atmosphere all compose a naturally nice picture. It's a pleasure walk. Ducks, pigeons and swans walked almost with us together. Water planes docked near the coast. Life is blessed. So free and luxury seems affordable.

Middle of the round trip comes the Villa Olmo. The villa is closed but the garden opened to the public. Statues line up to welcome guests. No stress, take your time or even a nap on the lawn. No one minds. A few trees already wore yellow and red. The atmosphere was mixed with cheerful warmth and slight melancholic sigh. Romantic!

Love in the air, one could breath it in. A couple riding on their bikes, passing through the villa. Young couples lying next to each other, enjoyed sunshine and time together. Wonderful!

Time passed quicky. It's close to the end of my last full day in Italy. The sun came closer to the horizon. My farewell to the bravo country.

Yongfoo Elite, Shanghai

2011-04-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

Working late, colleagues were waiting for me for dinner. No idea of where to go and it turned out a very nice place with exquisite decor recalling the old days in Shanghai. Yong Foo Elite, brings you back to 1930s, luxury and indulgence. Sumptuous food, Chinese singing 崑曲, what a wonderful night!

A colleague is a member to this club and so were we there, a privilege. The appetizers confirmed that the restaurant as a good one. Cold pork with chestnut, Roman lettuce with a soy wasabi dressing, refresing yet a modern chic. Shanghaiese and fusion, a good start and excellent impression.

River shrimps, simple but delibile. The taste still lingers as I am writing about it more than a month later. Sweet and sour fish cooked with pine nut, unforgettable. I was full but could not resist to take a bite after the other. So good! Beef ribs cooked western way in a creamy sauce, were tender and juicy.

Sashimi, two kinds of raw fish, served with radish and cucumber, was wonderful. None was left. Clean dish! Steamed chicken, favoured and tender. Spring rolls, not oily at all. Crispy surface with vegetable stripes, not adding fullness though at the end of the meal.

Seafood soup, good taste and comfort. Dry scallop, prawn, fish, cabbage added the dinner to another level of enjoyment.

200 Yongfu Road

Xuhui, Shanghai, China, 200031
021-54662727

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

2011-03-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

Singapore, a rare choice for independent travellers. It's a business trip, a glance of the city in the night with its glamour shining. The most impressive is the casino Sands at Marina Bay. But since we were there on the top floor, I show you what I saw from there. The most striking one is the ArtSceience Museum in a shape of lotus flower, modern elegance.

Talking back a bit during the day, a Sunday. I went to Little India, trying to find Indian jewellery made with stones. No success. A floor of the Mustafa Centre is full of gold. One stall sells precious stones, piece by piece. But they are very expensive. Outside the mall was many Indians, the only place I saw with many Indians after its motherland. Fast food restaurants dotted the place and grocery stores as well.

I met an ex-colleague, an Indian and his family and had authentic Indian home food. It's good, mean for the chat, reunion and also the food.

The next day was scheduled with various meetings and market visit.

Dinner time, we went to the top floor of the new casino, Sands at Marina Bay. Sky on 57, showcases a delectable array of modern Asian cuisine. What's more, dining guests can have a 360 degree view of Singapore skyline. Colours of light, busy streets, buildings, new architecture, all trying to fight for your attention and win your admiration.

My appetitizer is a mini-four. Fresh oyster, deep fried scallop with gorgeous presentation, smooth and melted in mouth goose pate. The best and unforgettable is the steam egg with truffle. Fabulous!

Some of my colleagues ordered suckling pig. It is the best I ever tasted. A bite meant much. The skin was crispy and the flesh tender and juicy. Superb! My lobster pasta was good too and not as heavy.

Last but not the least: desserts. Sharing of apple pie, chocolate and mix. Ending of a busy day. Time to bed and prepare for another busy day.

SkyPark Level 57, above Tower One

Arona, Statue and Castle of Carlo Borromeo - Lago (Lake) Maggiore -

2011-01-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

2010 Sep 12

We were greeted with sunshine on the day and drove towards Lago Maggiore. Years ago we took boat cruising along the lake and stopped by many beautiful touristic towns. This time, opt for different towns and new sights. The first stop was Arona. From its sea side, we could have a first impression of the Arona Castle, where Carol Borromeo, a saint and cardinal of the Catholic Church in 16th century.
All shops, except ice cream shops, were closed. But the town was not empty. Tons of families were enjoying the day along the coast. There was also a mini food fair where people were selling hot fresh hamburger. Smell good!

Shops' windows were nicely decorated. Antique, bags of Audrey Hepburn were on sold. A nice atmosphere. There are restaurants around the square at the end of the old town. People were sitting under the sun, enjoying mouth-watering food, fabulous weather and wonderful moments with friends and relatives. Arona gave me a very good impression. But we needed to move on to see other highlights of the day.

We drove to the hill on the opposite shore to visit an immense statue of Carlo Borromea. It was built with bronze in 1697, much earlier than the Statue of Liberty. At time it was the highest, 36 metres. One can climb a series of steep and scary stairs to reach the windows at the eyes and ears. Hey, a superb panoramic view awaiting!

Then we drove back to the other side of the lake to visit the castle where Borromeo was borne. It is Romanesque style, with impressive stone construct, mighty and powerful. A hall inside can still be appreciated with amazing fresco. The colours are a bit washed out but one can imagine how vivid and beautiful in centuries ago. Rise up to the roof, you will be rewarded with excellent views of the surroundings. Gorgeous! The castle houses a doll museum. Collections of different periods and countries are exhibited, a good lesson of history.

Last but not the least, you may also witness love stories in the castle.

Castello Sforzesco

2010-11-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Castello Sforzesco is one of the landmarks in Milan. It is a witness of the history. It was founded by the Visconti family. The size of the castle reached 180m x 180m. A tower stands at each of the four corners. It was demolished after the last decendent had died. But it was rebuilt after three years by general Francesco Sforza who married Visconti's illegitimate daughter. The next heir transformed the castle into a luxury residence. Thereafter, it fell into hands of different nations: French, Spanish, Austrian. Only with the unification of Italy in 1861, the castle could recover its cultural an public functions. Apart from as a key sightseeing point, it is also a transit point of getting through from one to another direction of the city.

It houses many art treasures in its several museums. With 3 Euro you can appreciate them in a day. Fabulous!

Ancient Art

This section houses lots of stone sculptures of the ancient time. The most striking one is the sheer sized general on a horse. A dying young soldier is peaceful yet melancholic. The one remains my favourite is Michelangelo's incomplete Pieta. It is rough and raw but still shows the sadness, unwillingness to separate. This Pieta is very different from his other piece shown in the Vatican which is delicate and desperate.

Pinacoteca

It stores over 200 of masterpieces from great artists of different periods.

Furnishing and Wooden Sculpture

I was amazed by some of the furniture pieces. They were old but have modern looks. I will be happy if I have a similar desk in my office like the one shown on the left . Home? No space! The colourful cupboard is also nice. Decorative arts in the exhibition room are of excellent quality.

Collection of Applied Arts and Musical Instruments

Applied and decorative arts have a bit overlap, in my opinion. Whatever it is defined, the excellent craftsmanship cannot be denied. The exquisite ivory jewellery box and sculpture, fine porcelain, beautiful cutlery and many many still......

Unfortunately, we were short of time and had to leave out the Egyptian and Prehistorical section of the Archaeological Museum and Sala Viscontea.

Portofino

2010-10-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

Towns along the coast in Liguria are beautiful. We arrived first at S. Margherita Ligure-Portofino. The local train from Milan took 2 hours 20 minutes. At the railway station you can take a bus connecting Portofino. It became very full at the town centre of S. Margherita. People were crowding face touching face, almost. The bus journey passes through the sea with resorts dotted along the coast. A lovely start of the trip.

Different pastel coloured buildings line up at the port. They are not fighting to get the best attention but standing in harmony to charm. Together with the many yachts it composes a fabulous view winning everybody's admiration. No one can deny, reject the beauty.

Walk up to the hill with a castle. Gorgeous views of the port and surrounding will sure be shot non-stop. We skipped the castle but walked around to enjoy the nature.

Head to the other side of the hill is a shady, quiet path passing some villas and leads to a view of the sea splashing the cliff. Spendid! Coming back to the sea level and head up to the hill on the right side. A standalone little church is under the blue sky. It has old green bronze doors with a series of craving showing from Creation to the death of Jesus Christ.

Then come the hardest part, climbing up endless staircase, breathing hardly with a quick pumping heart, sweating all through. But gorgeous views come after the hardship, beautiful vegetation and pine trees are high up the sky. An unforgettable trip! Hmm, to start the trip, go back to the direction of the bus stop and walk upward. Passing by nice houses and you will come to a wooden gate. Get through it. Don't worry about the warning of wild boar but be cautious of snake. My friend met one. He stopped and she escaped.

Our destination is San Fruttuoso. The walking was supposed to be 2 hours, without stopping. We took 3 hours to enjoy the beautiful views. The trip is mainly through a dense forest with lots of sharp inclines and declines. Be sure that you are strong enough, else reach the destination by a boat (€7).

San Fruttuoso has two major attractions. One is the Benedictine Monastery and the other Christ of the Abyss (Cristo degli Abissi). The monastery dated as early as 10th century. It has a little dome. Doria family members are buried at the valuts. Nearby is Doria Tower. In front of the monastery is a little lovely beach. Families, couples and groups enjoyed the fantastic day. Just we must be hurry for our boat to Camogli.

Camogli is a fishing village in Liguria. The oldest part with delightful buildings dotted around the harbour. Most visitors are drawn to the seaside promenade. For a lazy afternoon, just lay on the pebbly beach or dive into the sea under the sun. What a cool day. Bars, foccaccia, restaurants line up the promenade, eager to welcome you. Nice is that it is free of traffic. Not until you climb up steep staircase to Via XX Settembre where the train station, tourist office and all kinds of shops are located.

Hong Kong Museum of Art 香港藝術館

2010-10-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

Museums in Hong Kong have great collections and cost almost nothing (HK$10). A visit should be included in your itinerary. I visited Hong Kong Museum of Art. There are thematic exhibitions apart from its permanent exhibitions. At time, it is The Ultimate South China Travel Guide – Canton II (The Last Episode). It outlines the travel needs of foreign visitors to the regions of Canton, Hong Kong and Macau after the outbreak of the Opium War, when China was in regular conflict with western powers.

The beginning of steamships in 19th century reduced the travel time from Europe to China to around 2 months. Trade and tourism flourished. Ship journey departed from Southampton and Marseilles to Hong Kong twice a month. Visitors then transferred to Canton by river steamers.

Most visitors were merchants / traders coming to Canton with their family. Due to the restrictions, they could only live in the factory area and the family in Macau. Given the production lead time (except tea which freshness was essential to quick sales turnaround), they needed to stay. Tourism flourished within Canton and side trips to Hong Kong and Macau became popular. Travel guides covering phrase book, entertainment, safety reminders, where to stay, must see and must do aided foreign visitors to tour around. Paintings of the time help us to grasp an impression of the past time. Thanks to the key painters: William Heine, Thomas Watson, George Chinnery and Youqua.

Source: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/rise_fall_canton_04/gallery_places/index.htm

Chinese Antiquities Gallery
The exhibits exemplify sophisticated craftsmanship of inlaying, carving and embroidery already in the ancient time. Some of them dated back to the period of Before the Century. Accessories include shell fan, snuff bottle, fragrance holder, purse, belt buckle, hairpin, etc.

Another hall shows Chinese Landscape Painting and Calligraphy of high quality. I like this in particular, two friends sitting high up chatting and enjoying the nature and the river below.

The museum is situated next to the harbour. Don't miss the gorgeous evening scenes.

Address:
10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Opening Hours:

Daily 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Saturdays 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays)
Closed at 5:00pm on Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year's Eve
Closed on the first two days of the Chinese New Year

Lamma Island

2010-10-14T01:56:00.000-07:00

Lamma is the third largest island after Lantau and Hong Kong Island. It is peaceful and tranquil, a big contrast to the hectic city life. A walk through a hiking trail beween the two ports of Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan will definitely refresh one's mind. Tourists will find the other face of Hong Kong beyond shopping and dining.

Yung Shue Wan is on the north of the island and where the most population resides. Villas cluster in this area with lots of different restaurants in the surrounding, Chinese, Western, Turkish, Thai, Japanese, etc. Sok Kwu Wan is relatively barren to Yung Shue Wan. Upon arrival are numerous seafood restarants and a few villages dotted around. Ferry service is rare. If you miss one, be prepared to wait for at least 1.5 hours.

I started my trip at Sok Kwu Wan as it is easier to control the time of catching a ferry. The journey takes 40 minutes. On the left hand side of the boat, one can have a glance of buildings along the coast of the Hong Kong Island. The other side is open to the sea, with a view of plenty of big ships. When approaching to the island, the right side provides a good view of the island. You won't miss the Lamma Winds.

Head to the right are seafood restaurants lining up to welcome you. Follow signs of going to Yung Shue Wan. Soon you will arrive at a refurbished Tin Hau Temple. Guarding in front are two Chinese lions. Walking further are gorgeous views over the ferry, bay with loads of fishing boats and the temple.

When you see a sign of Lo So Shing Beach, go for it. It is quiet and beautiful. I will take my swim wear with me next time. It will be an enjoyable hour for the eyes, body and ears. Shower facility is comprehensive. No worry. I came to the Lo So Shing Village. An old woman was sitting outside having her lunch with her papaya for sale. I took two, adding over one kilogram to my load. Old people are running stalls of cold drinks, herbal tea.

Heading further up are fabulous views over Sok Kwu Wan, a dam and boats. It's stunningly beautiful on a sunny day. A bit sweating? Don't mind. Then a view over the electricity generation plant will appear soon. I could not stop taking shoots of it next to the sea. Very nice! Along the way is a bit of ascending and descending (not demanding). On a day of over 30C is a little challenge. But the beauty makes it worthwhile.

After the last descending comes Hung Sing Yeh Beach. It was filled with people and students of the Armstrong School. Noise and actions interplayed. Next to the beach is a tranquil haven of Herboland. The owners love the nature and have been running this herbal garden since 2003. Common and rare herbs are planted here and the number of species is countless. You can buy herbs in small pots and I took a Rosemary. Head up to the tea house, sip a freshly brewed blended herbal tea to relax, wind down with soothing music. Gavin is happy to answer any questions over herb planting and health benefits. Sitting there is a real pleaure. Sure, you will forget the heat outside.

On the way to Yung Shue Wan is a sign to the Lamma Winds, the first commerical-scale wind power station since 2006. It's beautiful on its own. If you wanna learn more on the wind power, you can be satisfied with the information at the Exhibition Centre. It's a detour from the trail, a 10-minute ascend along a shady path, a bit exhausted but certainly worthwhile.

Well, it almost comes to the end. Prior to reaching Yung Shue Wan are restaurants, shops and villas. Then you come to the main street heading to the pier. If you are not rushing, randomly pop into shops for unique souvenir or relax in any restaurant to wind down and prepare to go. Last but not least, enjoy the scenic views and take the last shots on the island.

The journey back takes 30 minutes. If possible, get a seat outside. On the right hand side are the buildings of the Hong Kong Island. The evening light is good for photo shoot. When it's close to the pier, you will have a gorgeous view of the International Finance Centre.

Genoa

2010-10-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

On 1 September 2010 we visited Genoa, a major port located on the north west coast of Italy, the region of Liguria. It's a town with a lot of attractions. Unfortunately we were only one day there. I'll tell things we've done and try to list out others worth a visit.

The train from Milan took about two hours. It climbs mountains and moved slowly during the last 20 minutes. We started with Villa del Principe. It is a rich and sumptuous noble house owned by Andrea Doria. He convinced the emperor Charles V to grant independence to Genoa. His art collection includes tapestries, frescoes, stuccoes, portraits and furniture. The garden has lots of plants with bright and appealing colours. The entrance fee was 12 Euro including a modern audio guide, a ipod categorised information nicely.

Stroll along Via Garibaldi and Via Balbi your eyes will be delighted with many lavishly decorated mansions and old palaces. Worth of mention is the Renaissance and Baroque Rolli Palaces which were added to the list of UNESCO in 2006. Genoa is an innovative town. A little room at one of the palaces takes you through the Rolli Palaces. Stand on any of the 3 designated spots. On the wall are images of the palaces. Stretch your arm, move it right or left to navigate along the palaces. Circle your hands like telescopes and put in front of your eyes. Stay at the spot of interest, then you can zoom into the interior of the building. It's amazing!

Don't miss the stunning 13th century San Lorenzo Catherdral with a black and white striped marble facade. It is admirably beautiful. The interior is huge with a lot of art pieces.

Not far away is the beautiful square Piazza di Ferrari and the theatre. Very beautiful buildings decorate the square and enhance the attraction. In the middle is a big fountain, alleviating the heat in the high summer. Citizens, tourists dotted the square. It's full of life.

Close to the seaport is a promenade, colourful and artistic buildings fighting to get your attention, loads of stores, park, a walking path along the port to glance the beauty. Along the way, you won't miss the spectacular Biosfera (Biosphere), a dome-shaped greenhouse. Within itself is a tropical enviroment with exotic birds, plants and colourful butterflied. A bit further is the oldest lighthouse in Europe, a symbol of Genoa.
Other site visits points include the acquarium, one of the largest in Europe. Over 500 species of fish and mammals live there.

For culture, Genoa has many superb museums. Some of them are housed in splendid palaces. One is Palazzo Spinola, with a great collection of Renaissance art made by Van Dyck, Rubens and Caravaggio.

If I visit Genoa next time, I won't miss Boccadasse (click for a view and be stunned of its beauty). It's a fishing village keeping its old character with loads of fishing boats on a stoney beach.

Another not to be missed activity is strolling along the Passeggiata di Nervi, a little hike along the coast with sights of beautiful houses and extraordinary villas.

Half Day in Tai Po - Hong Kong

2010-09-26T02:19:00.000-07:00

I heard about a Sunday organic market in Tai Po and had a visit today. It's next to the Tai Wo Fire Station, a short walk from Tai Wo Railway Station or from Tai Po Old Town.

It is smaller than I expected. But the warmth from people there impressed me. The first stall came to my eyes was one selling organic food from Germany such as dry beans, sugar, juices, etc. A neighbour store is Chun San Farm selling melon, bitter melon, pepper. The organic farm was converted from a pig farm. The plantation area is covered and fenced. Production cost is higher and growth is slower. Mrs She 佘 is very friendly. One can visit her farm at Mai Po by appointment.

Another nice encounter is a Chinese woman who had been living in Germany (Düsseldorf) for twenty years. She divorced from her husband and moved back to Hong Kong. She always wears a smile on her face. Despite all hardship and sadness she finds reasons to cheer herself up. I like her positive attitude.

I bought mushroom and Roman lettace. It was recommended to make scrumbled egg with the mushroom. But I will try it for pasta.

It's a short walk to the old town of Tai Po. Some scenic shots were along the way, nice! Like a Chinese bridge at Tai Po River, sampan, small boat with a crane on top.....

Man Mo Temple with coils of burning incense, worshipper..... Fu Shin Street, best place to experience market scenes.

Other sightseeing points include the Hong Kong Railway Museum, old Observatory, Earthgod Shrine, the town well, Wishes tree. For sport activity, go for a cycling along the Tolo Harbour to Shatin.

Novara

2010-09-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Novara is the second most important town in Piedmont. We were there on a Saturday, September 2010. The historical centre has a lay back atmosphere. Old buildings, big and small beautiful squares, churches, ruin of the castle and a tranquil park. It's nice to spend a day there. Cafes were full of young people after mid-day. The town is lively during Saturday afternoon. A sip of Piedmont's thick hot chocolate is an excellent chill out.

Our first visit point is Basilica of San Gaudenzio, dedicated to the first Christian bishop, Gaudentius of Novara. It has a spectular cupola of a height of 121 metres (397 feet) completed in 1888. The designer is Alessandro Antonelli. His most famous building is Mole Antonelliana in Turin.

Inside the basilica shows precious paintings from Gaudenzio Ferreri.

Another sightseeing point is the cathedral. It has a huge portal and beautiful courtyard.

Don't miss a very beautiful old house. Unfortunately, a signage of selling is put upfront. Hope that it will be preserved. The park near the ruin of the castle is very green, shady, relaxed as a little haven. Enjoy!

Varese

2010-09-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

We drove from Milan to Varese on August 2010. It was a lovely day. The first programme was a visit to Villa Panza, a property of FAI. Villa Panza is a noble house with an English garden of +30,000 square metres. The Panza di Biumo family bought the villa in the 1930s. It was restored and turned into a living house (also as a museum). The owner donated the complex and 113 art pieces to FAI. After immense restoration and conversion, it has been opened to the public. It costs you €3 to take photos inside FAI properties after you have paid the rather expensive entrance fee, €8 for this one.

The first highlight of the day is an exhibition of art pieces from Christiane Löhr (click the link to appreciate her excellent works). She is a German artist. The works we saw were made with horse hair and plants. They are intricate, required a lot of detailed labour and superb techniques.

The garden has many different plantations. Walking through is a pleasure. The villa itself is a living quarter plus artworks of strong colours. Huge colour paintings are hung in different rooms. A room has four pieces of contrasting colours, some with black and yellow, peaceful blue of different shades. A number of rooms are dedicated to the play of coloured fluorescent light. The blending of early 20 century family apartment, colour shade paintings and fluorescent give another dimension of art and life appreciation.

Then we went to the Sacro Monte di Varese (sacred hill of Varese) where 14 chapels dotted along 2.5 kilometres with a gradual climb of 300 metres. You will be amazed by the beautiful chapels, art and fantastic views of a lake, plains and valley. Art in each chapel is attributed to Jesus Christ's life. Frescoes, murals and real sized painted terracotta figures compose theatrical scenes, from the Announciation to death of Jesus. But the last chapel is dedicated to the rise of Mary given the place is very Catholic which Maria has a surpreme position.

Further steps upon the end of the chapel path is the Village of Santa Maria delle Monte. You can have a wonderful panoramic view of the surroundings. There is a sizeable terrace for your eyes to appreciate the beautiful scenery. At time of our visit, a group of children was rehearsing a play, singing an italian song. For a rest, you may opt to restaurants with first-class views of the nature. Wanna go there? Check it out here.

Sushi Shota

2010-08-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

It's the third time visiting Sushi Shota. First time dated back to 2005. The CEO of my previous employer took me there. Second time being a few months earlier. I ordered a set of 'specified sushi' and noodle but non-stop delivery of delicate sushi lunch set got my attention. I said to myself I would try it one day. Then, today, a time to rest and taste the delicacy. After this meal, I said I would come back another time.

I arrived at around 1.45pm. A few guests remain. One could choose 8 out of 20 choices of sushi and 1 from 5 Maki (卷物). I picked Tuna (吞拿), Yellow Tail (油金 ), Hirame (左口), Macherel (花鮫), Sea Eel (海鰻), Sea Urchin (海膽 ), Sweet Shrimp (甜蝦 ), Tai (snapper) and Netitoro Maki (吞拿魚腩).

The first dish was steamed egg. Inside was crab meat, chicken and mushroom. Then came the sushi displayed in a yummy way, fresh and calling 'we are here.....' I slowed down the eating pace, chewing and tasting the sushi with consciousness. The sweetness and savour filled my mouth. I felt like swimmming with fish in the ocean. Or was I swallowed by the ocean? The good meal ended with black seasame ice cream and coffee.

If you crave for a trial, here is the address:

8/F Kyoto Plaza,
491-499 Lockhart Road,
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel: 2834 3031

Rocky Mountains

2010-08-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

from FirstPeople.us

It's a two-hour drive to the Rocky Mountains. One can drive through from one to the other side of the mountains. Everybody is warned at the ticket office on the possible encounter of bears and self protection techniques. We were not lucky enough to see any creeping and approaching us. But a little boy feeding deer, elk from the far.... As one ascends higher and higher, plant height gets shorter. To the extreme, it's tundra, attributed by the low temperature.

Somewhere in the middle you can park your car, jump into a souvenir shop to buy all kinds of stuff symbolising the Rocky Mountains. This scene captured my attention. A lonely woman, perhaps working there whilst having a break, sitting and smoking alone.

The descending path came a beautiful and peaceful lake circled by tall pine trees. Hearts washed by the tranquility. Birds, animals glorified the nature. Harmony between animals and human beings......

The other side of the mountain rained like cats and dogs. Mamamia!

Vail, Colorado

2010-07-18T05:55:00.000-07:00

Vail is the first day trip destination during our stay in Colorado. It is famous as the second largest single ski mountain in America and its outdoor activities. It has its charm in summer. The way from Highlands Ranch to Vail was scenic, ranges of snow mountains, rough mountain, appearing one after one to win your admiration. Two-hour drive seemed quick.

Vail is well prepared for tourists and guests. Right upon arrival is an organised car park. Following is a resort feel, relaxed to appreciate its tranquility. It was a nice surprise to find an Austrian restaurant, Gasthof Gramshammer, with authentic ambiance of eatery dotted at remote places in Austria. Kurt was extremely happy to find a home restaurant. We took Wiener Schnitzel and Hungarian paprika goulash, a dish I missed all along the years since my visit in 1993. Both dishes were very good. We filled up with energy to start walking under the heat.

We bought a pass to take the cable free from here to there and back. The walk from one side to the other was quite demanding. High pines on the two sides did not provide us any shelter. The walk was enjoyable and beautiful. The little hut and colour trees reminded me of picturesque mountain walk in Austria.

Coffee time! It was a nice little leisure sit to watch the surrounding. There were many families around. The most impressive was an Indian family. Husband caring about the wife. It was loving. Husband ,wife and the child enjoying a Sunday together.

Soon, we had to leave Vail. The nice day did not end here. Our drive passed by an abandoned mine, beautiful lake with colourful trees and little squirrel not shy to take food. It was a wonderful day.

Cheung Jai Kei 張仔記, Western District 西環

2010-07-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

This local restaurant has been endorsed by different friends. Its food is very good! And it is not expensive. The most outstanding dish, for me, are big shell 花甲 in peppery broth and oysters in port wine sauce 砵酒焗蠔. They are terrific! Karen, Michelle, Susanna, Sai Wai and myself had a great meal on 25 June 2010. Photos shown here were taken from two meals.

Apart from oysters in port wine sauce, we ordered East Wind Snail 東風螺, goose intestine with pepper in black bean sauce 豉椒鵝腸， Garlic Chicken 蒜香雞, garlic razor fish with vermicelli 蒜蓉蟶子蒸粉絲 and vegetables. Sai Wai picked the goose intestine non-stop, saying good good and ate and ate. We all had good time.

Other recommendations include: Steamed Crab with glutinous rice, razor fish in garlic black bean sauce, Chinese mushroom with goose feet, oh, nameless.......

Address: 16-18 Hau Woo Street, Western District.

US Independence Day, a Heart Warming Day with Teresa

2010-07-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

It's the only public holiday during my first stay in Colorado. It's the US Independence Day, 4 July 2005, the only one leaving a beautiful memory to me.

Kurt, my Austrian colleague, and I were the only non-Americans in the team. We joined the company the same time and worked 6 weeks in Colorado. Among all the team members, Teresa was the most caring person. She took us out for dinner some time. Very kind of her, she invited us to her house on the Independence Day. We spent a very nice afternoon and evening with her and Harold.

Teresa and Harrods live in Parker, should be still so now. Parker was very spacious. Houses were sparse. We had good time chatting on all topics. Teresa prepared Spinach salad and we enjoyed the BBQ together. When it was dark, we were sitting at the terrace with cold winds and viewing the firework at Denver from far. On my mind are the smiling, laughter and warming hearts. Thank you, Teresa.

Laksa

2010-07-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

I love eating but eat much less in the last few months as I am concerned with my ever increasing weight. Well, with fairly good discipline, I managed to lose over 10 pounds. But it stucks.

I had hard weeks. Finally, our programme has been launched today. It's time to relax. My stomach kulu kulu after an appointment in Wanchai. I followed a friend's advice and tried a Malaysian restaurant, Sabah. Her Singaporean colleague highly recommended it, saying that it's authentic. Why not? And I can start sharing places of food with good value. Be it for a single diner or groups.

There were quite a few new dishes that I wanna try. But at the end I sticked on the safe side, laksa, a dish familiar to Hong Kong Chinese. Two choices: curry seafood and asam laksa of sour fish soup. Photo of the curry seafood showed sumptuous seafood whilst the other's quite plain, one piece of sardine on the fish soup. The selling point is: the soup is made with ginger flower (from Malaysia) and fresh fish. However, I opt for the more appealing choice, curry seafood laksa.

Curry laksa is a coconut curry soup with a dash of sambal chili paste. The major ingredients are tofu puff, fish sticks, shrimps, squid. Mine was found with two very very tiny scallops. It tasted gorgeous! The spice was balanced with the rich creamy coconut soup. A wonderful dinner. It costs HK$60 with 10% service charge. Other recommended dishes include: roti canai (油鬆餅), beef rendang (巴東牛肉), ha mee (蝦麵) and bak kuh teh (肉骨茶). It's a place that I will certainly go back with friends. Guten appetit!

Sabah Malaysian Cuisine, G/F 98-102 Jaffe Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong.

Another Series of Independent Travel - Colorado

2010-07-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

It's the first time to the USA in 2005 as I joined a company based in Colorado. A new experience, vision, friendship and team. It's an important milestone in my working & personal life.

I arrived in the night and slept in an apartment in Highlands Ranch. My morning was cheered up with little rabbits and beautiful flowers around the apartment. My boss and a colleague from Austrian took me out for dinner. Then 6 weeks of working in the States started officially. Thanks to my beautiful ex-boss, Denise, for the wonderful stay and working with the team.

Colorado is blessed with sunshine, wild nature, spectacular sunsets and clouds. I was there in summer and had sunshine almost everyday. Work hard during the week. Travel to the near during the weekend. Thanks to Kurt, who drove me to work and new destinations throughout the stay. We had the chance to visit Vail, Rocky Mountains, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Denver downtown, Denver Art Museum, Golden and visits to team members.

The first visit to Denver downtown was funny. We missed the right turning to the town and went far far away. Finally, we could be there, walked a bit around to have an impression, did a bit shopping. Wall painting impressed me. They are not a lot, but good enough to have memories.

The first Sunday was laid back and relaxed. A very nice lunch at our beloved resturant, Maggiano's. The portion was big. The mixed appetitizer is my most favourite!

Croatia Trip - Day 16 - Rovinj

2010-06-20T01:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my trip mate! Thanks for spending very nice time with me in the beautiful country. Rovinj is the last city of our Croatia trip. It is a picturesque town with mild climate and ideal for relaxation. A friend of mine spent her honeymoon here for a week in early May 2009. We were there on 31 May 2009. A coincidence! We knew about it much later.

St Euphemia Cathedral is situated at the highest point of the city. You see it from every corner, proudly overseeing the surroundings and declaring its importance. Nevertheless, it makes the city very unique and beautiful. You won't mind having it often in your photos. The cathedral is named after a martyr who died for her faith in the year 304. Hundreds years later her marble coffin mysterious floated to the shore of Rovinj.

Croatia is a bestowed country! It has a long coastline, lots of sunshine (except one day in our trip), beautiful nature and beaches and rich agricultural products. We bought fresh fruits at Split, and every city we visited. The colours seen at Rovinj market were vivid. We enjoyed apricots on spot, got dry figs and walnuts with big discounts comparing to the neighbouring country Italy.

Our last lunch in Croatia is definitely the best in our trip. Grilled fish wrapped in paper and divine grilled lamb. The previous was soft and juicy. The latter was tender and tasty. We had local white wine by glass. Oh, super! Look for a restaurant called Vels Joze.

It is the only cloudy day we had in our trip. Just from the photos, it looks pretty scary. Luckily, it did not rain during our visit. When we headed back to Poreč, sunshine again. We had our last sunset in Croatia. The next day, we had to catch a very early bus (6am) to Trieste. Goodbye Croatia!

Croatia Trip - Day 14 & 15 - Poreč

2010-06-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Poreč is a little touristic town located on the west coast of the Istria peninsula. It has beautiful beaches, luxurious resorts and charm to attract tourists. The rocky and accessible coast is dotted with numerous swimmers and holidaymakers. The city has been catered for tourists for centuries. It is charming during days and nights.

The most important sightseeing point is basilica of St. Euphrasiusis, the best preserved monument of early Byzantine art dating from the sixth century. The upper parts of the central apses are decorated with exquisite mosaics of exceptional artistic value. The mosaic floor dated back between second and sixth century.

Another two 'must be mentioned' are the seaside and sunset. Tourists enjoyed swimming and sun bathing along the rocky beaches. It took an hour to walk from end to end to pass through beaches and resorts on the eastern side. I saw a cute fat boy jumping into the sea with splashes of water. He was so fond of it and repeated the jumping endlessly. It's fun watching.

For beautiful sunset, stay on the western quay or hop to a nearby island with a resort. If you are hotel guests of the mainland, you can get a free boat ride to the opposite shore for a nice cool swim and beautiful sunset.

Croatia Trip - Day 13 - Brijuni Islands

2010-06-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

Brijuni Islands mean many: group of islands, romantic beaches, prehistorical archipelago, national park, zoo and Tito. The islands are 6 km away from the mainland of Istria. To go there, first call to get a place in any arranged tours, take a bus to Fažana, a tranquil fishing village and then jump onto any scheduled boats to visit the main island. There a tourist train will tour you around. Of course, you can stay behind and appreciate the beauty, nature and archipelago as long as you like. Hotels are nearby.

Let's start from Fažana. We arrived the sleeping fishing village pretty early. After we have got our boat tickets, we walked around the town, the seafront, the port to enjoy a very nice start of the day. Bravo!

It's a short ride to the Brijuni National Park. A tour guide welcomed us at the port, introduced the programme of the day, showed us a church right at the port and got us into a tourist train around the island. We passed by wonderful tree allee, undulating landscape, seafront, roman villa ruins and arrived at the zoo. There were many animals wandering freely within a big fence. It is unfortunate that they were far. Naja, it's great to see zebra in the wild.

Then we were brought to Tito's museum. Loads of pictures were shown, including many national officials and delegates being greeted and served there.

Big piece of land was occupied by remains of luxurious Roman villas, overlooking the sea and the alluring natural beauty. Among all, you can find temples to Neptune, Venus, Byzantine castles and the basilica of St. Mary. Look, the remains were really rich and beautiful in the old days.

It was a beautiful day. We wanted to get into the water. However, it was too windy and the water too cold. Well, we missed the chance to swim at the only nude beach in our trip. There wasn't anybody around.

Croatia Trip - Day 11 and 12 - Pula

2010-06-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Our bus from Plitvice scheduled departure time was 6.45am. We got up very early, swallowed our breakfast quick and got delivered to the bus stationed. Bus waiting at the middle usually took longer than expected. We first went to Karlovac and changed another bus to Pula, the very southern end of the peninsula, Istria. Thanks to our landlady in Plitvice. Without her advice prior to the departure, we would not be able to find the information over the internet. It's a long and winding trip to Pula.

We booked Apartments Arena via Hostelbookers. It's huge with high ceiling and much light. The biggest advantage is it's next to the Arena, Roman Amphitheatre. We could easily take shots of the number one attraction, day and night. One can walk to and within the old town easily. You will pass through many touristic shops and restaurants. When you arrive at the main square, you can admire the beauty composing by the townhall, Roman Temple and the layback atmosphere. Just breath in the air and relaxed.

Continue the street to the other end, you will see a Roman Arch standing there over centuries, welcoming and farewelling guests to the town. Richer building stand outside the arch. One can shop in some internationally renowned shops.

If you are interested in swimming, take a bus to a nearby resort. The fare was as expensive or even more expensive than an European town. There is a public beach. We swam with many families on a weekday. We were lack of money. All our dinners were cooked at home. Nearby were two small supermarkets. We went to a big one after our swim. Do shop Croatian wine. The whites are very good.

The next day was very windy. The arena was our first programme. At the basement it showed history, sketches of the building and old pots. We strolled along the town, the port, saw some ruins and churches. Among all I preferred the Romanesque style one. Pula is pretty small. Apart from the Arena, the other major reason to visit is the nearby Brijuni Islands where a national park sits. It is also Tito's beloved island.

Croatia Trip - Day 9 and 10 - Plitvice Lakes National Park

2010-06-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

We got up early to take a bus from Zadar to Plitvice, the only one during the day at non-peak season. Bus from the old town to the long distance bus station was rare, especially on Sunday. The bus took some winding streets which we did not pass through on the reverse way. We arrived pretty early and had a coffee. The bus was very stuffy. I suffered much in the two-hour trip and could not stop vomitting when we had a chance to stop for a pause. Oh, such a start of the day.

We opt for a private accommodation, Krizmanic Family, nearby the gate 1 of the national park. Our host Ivana picked us up with her car to the lovely house. Surroundings were beautiful flowers.

Soonest we proceeded to the park. Bad news was: we could not buy a two-day pass because we were not hotel guests. Double cost for the visit. Well, no choice, we were there. We had two beautiful days. No regret.

Emerald and Sapphire colours presented in front of us once entering the Park. The water of the lakes were gorgeous. It glittered under the intensive sunshine. Waterfalls, plants around and in the water composed picturesque shots everywhere. The water was very clear. We could see the deposits in the water. It reminded me on Jiuzhaigou in China. Its water has a special substance which coated the plant under the water. No one can erase the beauty once it has been in mind. Jiuzhaigou is more beautiful but extremely crowded. Here we had peace and space. Tourists were relatively far apart. One and half days is barely enough to see most of the beautiful spots. We walked much. There were bus and boat connections between spots. You need energy to walk through to enjoy the beauty. The sun in May was already very strong. It heated up the land and rained in the night. Be home early if you can.

At the end of the day, we went to the only restaurant near the entrance of the Park. The grilled trout was good. We had it twice in the two evenings plus choices of grilled meat. The cheese for the bread was delicious. The breakfast provided by our host was excellent.

Croatia Trip - Day 8 - Zadar

2010-06-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Zadar was attacked by different tribes such as Turks, Venetian, Austrian, Italian, etc. It tells why one can see Austrian styled buildings, Venetian lion on gates, Italian cafe and so on.

We started the day with a visit at the square of 5 wells, followed by a small scale botanic garden, art of a few churches, church treasury. There displayed a lot of Saints' relics. It means finger, hand, heart or any part of the body in an ornmental piece of cylinder or else. For modern people, it's scary and not hygienic. But the ancient people believed that a power was associated and meant protection. The highlight is an ascend to the tower of Saint Anastasia's Cathedral (Katedrala Sv. Stosije) with a superb panoramic view of the city.

Swimming is a favourite activity in Croatia in summer. This time we headed for a quite island nearby. Boats ran around every 40 to 50 minutes. We just missed one. Killing time was easy. Just headed to any cafe, sipping coffee and watching people come and go. Our island was quiet. Only we were there, enjoying the cool water and natural beauty. What a day! Slowly we walked back to the pier and looked forward to a sumptuous dinner.

We passed by this lovely restaurant, Lungo Mare, during the day. It had a terrace overlooking Drazenica Bay, was famous for seafood and the best wine list in town. It's also recommended in Timeout Croatia. So, our choice was confirmed. We made a booking for the evening. It turned out that it was a good choice. Good food accompanied with great view and fabulous white wine. A day closed with a perfect dinner. What could we ask for more, nothing.

Croatia Trip - Day 7 - Zadar in the afternoon

2010-06-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

Zadar suffered a lot from the Second World War. Reconstruction work was undertaken to repair the chaotic damages. A system of polythylene tubes and a resonating cavity were consealed under the steps to turn the site into a natural musical instrument, the sea organ. It was built by Nikola Bašić as part of the project of redesigning the sea coast. It has been opened to the public since April 2005. The randomness of waves play harmonic sound. Tourists and local families come here to enjoy the unique aerophone and beautiful sunset.

Croatia's beauties are owned by local residents. It's not only in Zadar but Split but most of the places we have been to. Locals crowd the seafront in the evening. After a day of work, they come to the sea to enjoy the nice scenery to dewind. Locals and tourists are in harmony. One will never feel the space too limited but accommodating everyone's needs.

Zadar has a beautiful seafront dotted with elegant palaces. It looks like Austrian buildings. Strolling along is relaxing. Churches in Zadar also well known and bring loads of tourist. I am especially impressed with the mightly St Donat church. The round Romaneque church builit in 9th century is certainly a symbol of the city. Other churches include Saint Anastasia's Cathedral (Katedrala Sv. Stosije) with a handsome tower and Church of Saint Simeon (Crkva Sv. Sime).

Croatia Trip - Day 7 - Sibenik in the morning and early afternoon

2010-05-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

Sibenik is a tranquil and romantic town. The famous white St Jacob Cathedral is listed as one of the UNESCO sites. It is white, simple yet elegant. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful churches in Croatia. Outside the church is full of statues, head and face sculptures. St Michael is stepping on the devil on top of a facade. One needs good eyes to admire the beauty, especially on a sunny day.

You should not miss out the exquisite baptistery at the basement of the Cathedral. It's marvelous. The ceiling is beautifully crafted with angels within each of the four quarters. It's difficult to keep your eyes off. My eyes kept admiring the art and my neck soared. The baptistery was closed during the mid-day. Luckily it was reopened in the afternoon, else it would be a big missing part of visiting Sibenik. Wandering along the lanes and houses in Sibenik is joyful.

Then we ascended to St Anne's Fortress to have a superb panoramic view of the town, port, cathedral and surroundings. The climb is not difficult. Certainly, you will be rewarded with an amazing view. When you descend, ask for a opened garden cafe to relax.

Croatia Trip - Day 6 - Trogir

2010-04-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

Trogir is a little, quiet and picturesque cultural town. The historical town centre is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is a short ride from Split. In the morning there are direct intercity bus services which take about half hour. Otherwise, normal bus journey takes you there in an hour. Try this link for connection to/from Trogir.

Trogir is located on an island between the mainland and another island, Ciovo. Small bridges connect between them.

On the northern side of the main square is the Cathedral of St Lovro. It is considered as one of Dalmatia's most architecturally and artistically important monuments. The builder, Master Radovan, molded the first nude Adam and Eve in Dalmatia.

The columns of the cathedral are remarkably beautiful. They left me an excellent impression. The interior of the cathedral is worth a look. The ceiling is special. Don't forget to ascend to the tower for a superb panoramic view of the town, mainland and nearby.

One can stroll along the water front, both sides of the main bridge, to relax and enjoy the lovely breeze and natural beauty. Not far away is an abandoned fortress which offers gorgeous view.

St Marco Basilica

2010-04-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

I would say St Mark Basilica is a monument, rich in history and art treasures. It is splendid, possesses exquisite facade and magnificent golden interior. One can find other churches with golden mosaics but this one is distinguished by the tale of St. Marco along with the many illustrations of the old and new testaments. Outside the churches, you can appreciate the paintings on its facades. Its shape is unique. For me, it looks like a palace. At the centre is the symbol, the lion of St Marco.

Inside the basilica can be very dark. The art treasures cannot be appreciated. Shouts always echo, 'no pictures, no photos.' Floods of tourists arrived, moved forward, raised the heads to view the superb mosaics, took photos, argued with guards and left. Until it is illuminated, one is wondered by the luxurious eternal beautiful mosaics. They are on every vault and ceiling, full of teasures.

You are free to take photos in all churches in Italy but except Venice. We talked to one of the guards inside the Basilica. He said that it is a rule by one of the government officials and remains. No one knows why but everyone has to stick to it.

No one is allowed to take nap sacs or big bags into the basilica but store it at a place nearby. If you are facing the basilica's front, the place is at one of the lane on the left hand side. It took some time to find but you will find it. You can leave your bags for up to one hour.

Monza, Italy

2010-04-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Monza is 15 km away from Milan. It is a little rich town. I visited the town centre and the beautiful Duomo years ago. The destination this time is the park, one beloved by its inhabitants. It is enormous, over 600 acres, and dotted with many beautiful villas. It's also the venue for the annual Formula I Grand Prix.

We got in the park via the entrance nearby Villa Reale. It was built by the will of Empress Marie-Therese of Austria. Exhibitions are held there from time to time. One was over prior to my visit. It was a cold Saturday. Snow remained on the floor. But the temperature did not stop its inhabitants strolling miles across different parts of the park. Families, old couples, friends dotted the park. Smiles were around. Love dangled in the air. Beauty filled our eyes. It's a romantic world compared to the hectic Milan.

Venice's Islands

2010-03-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

Venice itself is islands in a lagoon. The islands I am going to detail refer to other key islands with some distance. They are Murano, Bruano and Torcello. Each has its own characteristics.

Murano,the closest one from Venice. One can start the 10-minute boat trip from Fondamenta Nuove. The island is famous for its glass work. You can see signs of glass factory everywhere on the island. We window-shopped. Most of them look identical and not artistic. This orchestra the only one look unique.

Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato was built in 8th century. The most striking piece of art is Vergine Orante, a splendid mosaics of Virgin Mary. The mosaics floor is beautiful. Don't miss it out.

Burano can be reached from Fondamenta Nuove or from Murano Faro stop. It is the prettiest island in the lagoon. All houses are painted in bright colours. No one next to each other has the same colour. It cheers up the residents and visitors. Burano is famous for lace.

Time passed quick. We did not have any time to visit Torcello, the furthest of the three from Venice. It is a barren and romantic place. I visited the island in 2001, was walking alone and admired the beautiful Basilica.

Venice's Landmarks

2010-03-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

Venice, a charming city, always remains on my mind. The Grand Canal and Gondola are unique. One can find churches, beautiful architecture of different styles elsewhere but can never find a place with a big canal dotted with palaces, beautiful and torne buildings originated in different periods. Here you can see the golden palace Ca' D'oro, the palace of an art institute next to the Accademia Bridge, the area of Rialto Bridge, Santa Croce near the railway station, etc. Of course, you won't miss the sight of a gondola.

Basilica San Marco, Campanile, Torre dell'Orologio, Palazzo Ducale

No one will object if these key buildings are the landmarks for Venice. Here is the most popular place for tourists from all over the world. It is the place for the carnival, the centre and a must see place for anyone visiting Venice. My companion led me to a number of off beaten tracks. One of them is the opposite shore from the San Marco Square. We could view the square from far, an overview with ferries running through the canal.

Many tourists should have taken similar shots of this from the San Marco Square. But not many of them bother about the church opposite. It is San Giorgio, a church named after a saint who killed a dragon. The church is a masterpiece from Palladio. It exempts from Byzantine characters. The architect believed that white was the colour most appealing to God. On a sunny day one can ascend to the bell tower for an extraordinary panorama across Venice and the lagoon. It costs 3 Euro. It's a good value if compare to the 8 Euro charge for the campanile at the San Marco Square.

Santa Maria della Salute
I was not aware of this church during my last two visits. When preparing this third visit, I saw a photo showing it in the night. It's charming, like a pearl at the shore shining in the night. I wanted to take a night shot. But we were not very lucky with the weather or not nearby in the night. No harm, next trip. If you will visit Venice, it's worth walking the opposite shore to enjoy the romance and fabulous night scene. This shot was taken from the ferry. I bought a poster of Venice in Paris years ago. It is framed and still hung in our living room. It's this church painted by Monet.

4 Bridges

Not every bridge is always quoted in travel books. The oldest and most famous is the Rialto Bridge. Signages in Venice pointing to Rialto, San Marco, Railway Station and Accademia. The four bridges are the main ones connecting different regions. The newest is Ponta delle Constitutione. It connects Cannaregio and Piazza Roma which is a major transportation hub carrying tourists and workers from the land to the lagoon.

Venice Chorus Pass

2010-02-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in church art and architecture, Venice Chorus Pass is for you. It costs 10 Euro, allows you to visit 16 churches within one year's time. It costs 3 Euro to visit one church. If you visit 4, you will fully cover the cost. We visited 15 in four days! A real achievement! All participating churches are light up. It enables visitors to admire the beauty of the paintings and interior. Churches beyond the group often has no illumination. Some may charge entrance fee and offer no light. You have to pay additionally to light up the painting you wish to see. The 10 Euro is worthwhile. You also get a guide in your preferred language. Er, perhaps no Chinese yet. I asked for English all the way :)

It is a good will to contribute a little money to help restore churches full of history and masterpieces by famous artists like Giovanni Bellini, Jacopo Robusti (Tintoretto), Giambattista Tiepolo, Titian, Paolo Veronese, Vittore Carpaccio, Lorenzo Lotto, etc.
(photos from left to right: Church of the Madonna dell'Orto, Church of Santa Maria del Giglio, Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli & Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari)

Below is the list of the participating Churches:
1) Church of Santa Maria del Giglio
2) Church of Santo Stefano
3) Church of Santa Maria Formosa
4) Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli - the most exquisite church, simple and elegant
5) Church of San Giovanni Elemosinario
6) Church of San Polo
7) Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
8) Church of San Giacomo dall'Orio
9) Church of San Stae
10) Church of Sant'Alvise
11) Church of the Madonna dell'Orto
12) Church of San Pietro di Castello
13) Church of the Santissimo Redentore
14) Church of Santa Maria del Rosario (Gesuati)
15) Church of San Sebastiano (under restoration but opened)
16) Church of San Giobbe

Here are a few paintings in my memory:
Tintoretto's The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple - Madonna dell'Orto
Titian's Assumption of the Virgin and Bellini's Triptych with Virgin and Saints - Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Giandomenico Tiepolo's Crucifixion (one of the fourteen scenes) - St Paolo
Bellini's Saints Christopher, Jerome and St Augustine - S. Giovanni Crisostomo (not a Chorus church)
Paolo Veronese's paintings - Church of San Sebastiano

Food in Venice

2010-02-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

We had four meals in our 4-day stay in Venice. It's not wrong. It's three dinners and one lunch. Time was short. We could not afford the time for lunch in the first three days.

Among all the meals, the first dinner is the best and most memorable. The restaurant is called Alla Zucca. Zucca means pumpkin, one of the food I like most. It is located in Santa Croce 1762, ponte del Megio.

First came the bread. As a rule of thumb, if the bread is good, the food will be good. Our theory proved to be right again.

We order baked pumpkin and gorgonzola pistachio pasta as the first dishes. The pumpkin had a creamy texture. We loved it. The match of gorgonzola and pistachio is wonderful. The sauce is just right, not watery nor too dry.

Our rucola mushroom salad was fresh. The main dishes were Venetian style veal liver served with polenta and pork cooked in prune sauce with rice . The veal liver was tender. The pork with the fragance and sweetness of prune was yummy. I highly recommended this trattoria. It's one of the best value restaurants in Venice.

BEA Vita is located in Cannaregio. It featured a menu including appertizer, first, second course and desserts. Dishes are mysterious. We were brave to order one and went for pumpkin with cheese, Peter fish and a bottle of white wine additionally. The appertizer was a seafood platter. Scallop, fish paste and octopus were served. The first course was shellfish gnocci. My first course is baked pumpkin with cheese. All were good. So happen that the mysterious second course and the ordered one were Peter fish. We were unhappy about the same dish served twice. Worst was the fish was dry and rough. We were very disappointed. To a degree that I had no mood to take a photo. The colourful dessert did not help win back our appreciation. This dinner cost us 85 Euro. It's not worth. We were the only guest that night.

On the third evening we dined in the area of Dorsoduro. It is a small and humble neighbourhood osteria, La Bitta. They provided a few choices each for appertizer, first course, second course and cheese. We took smoked beef and a pasta cooked with mince meat / organs(?). Second dishes were beef stew and pork cutlet in mustard sauce. Tourists of different nations filled the osteria. The food was good.

The last programme on the fourth day is St. Marie della Salute in Dorsoduro. It is a major landmark for Venice. We walked around the shore to admire St Marco Square on the opposite. It's two o'clock in the afternoon. To cure my crave for food, we dined in a osteria round a corner. It's very very disappointed. We paid 28 Euro for two pasta and a small bottle of water. The pasta was not freshly made. It's like reheated packaged food. My advice: don't jump in a trattoria without referral. American tourist is not a reliable source.

Alla Zucca and La Bitta are recommended by Time out Venice and Best of Venice.

Venice 2010

2010-02-18T07:13:00.000-08:00

We got into Venice on 8 February, Monday. This year's Carnival started on 6 February. Tourists with mask and costumes were mostly seen in the St. Marco Square, elsewhere they were scarce. They were delighted / proud to be taken photos, be it in the square, or in the famous Caffe Florian. Just looked through the window, I felt the inside either as shooting a film or I witnessed the Venetian society centuries ago.

Our hotel is very near to the railway station. It was clean and quiet. It's good value from otel.com.

The first day was blessed with sunshine. We started from the region Cannaregio, visited the first few of 16 churches included in a church visit pass, the Ghetto, wandered through canals and bridges with signs of gondola and slowly strolled towards the Rialto Bridge and St Marco Square.

Milan and Venice Trip

2010-01-24T05:14:00.000-08:00

Hu hu! I am going to Milan and Venice in 10 days. This trip is mainly a visit trip plus a few days to participate in the annual Carnival in Venice. It's a magical, fancy and mysterious event. With a long craving, I will be there finally.

Luckily I can get a redemption ticket, hopping from Hong Kong to London and subsequently to Milan on 3rd Feburary. Not yet sure what will be the good sightseeing points in the groomy cold winter. But it will be nice to expose to world class designs and gourmet food.

My friend and I will go to Venice for a few days. I must tell you I've unveiled a good site for value-added hotel, http://www.otel.com/

We book a little nice Venetian hotel for 3 nights at 198 Euro. If you book directly from the hotel, 540 Euro will slip away from your wallet. Let us try it out and validate.

My first visit to Venice took place in 1991. It was summer. I visited Venice again and nearby cities 9 years ago. It was January. The town was not full. Fewer tourists visited, restaurants closed, groomy winter and cloudy sky. But these did not have any adverse impact on my impression on this second visit. I was lucky to have a few days of sunshine which rewarded fantastic view of the grand canal and the palaces along the banks.

Croatia Trip - Split - Baptistery & Mt. Marjan

2009-12-27T05:41:00.000-08:00

In the 5th morning we visited the temple of Jupita (Baptistery), Meštrović museum and hiked up to Mt Marjan. The baptistery is for total immersion. It is beautifully crafted. Next to it is a statue of Saint John the Baptist.

Meštrović museum is detailed in another section. Please refer to Day 5 Split - Ivan Mestrovic

We started the climb of Mt. Marjan around midday. The sun was high. The ascend was quite steep. But the view over the town was spendid. The path was barren. We hardly saw any people, perhaps one workman who was on duty. There were some Romanesque churches along the way. The first one looked bright white under the sun. It's beautiful. Continued on the white 'sandy' path, second and third churches came into view. Hu hu, destination reached! For a while the sky turned cloudy. It did not rain, fortunately.

We went to a public swimming place to immerse into the water after the sweating walk. Yeah yeah we did not know previously nice beaches are on the western side. It's far to walk back. But we still had another day.

Croatia Trip - Day 5 Split - Ivan Meštrović

2009-12-26T05:38:00.000-08:00

Ivan Meštrović is one of the most important artists in Croatia. A very nice museum of him is found in Split. It is situated on the western side of the city, nearby gorgeous beaches. The museum is Ivan Meštrović's residence. The villa is at a wonderful location, overseeing the sea with fresh air. It was built between 1931 and 1939. Unfortunately, the artist lived there for two years only. The white marble statue right at the middle of the display hall got my attention. It's so beautiful. The tranquility and a dash of frozen sadness caught my admiration.

Some of the artist's sculpture were displayed in the garden of the villa. They are huge and realistic. If you were there, you would be amazed.

I was touched by his version of Pietà.

Heading further west, you will arrive into Kastelet, the artist's chapel ornamented with his wooden scuplture of Jesus' life.

It is a pleasant walk from the city centre to the musuem. Nearby the museum are beautiful beaches. Be sure to take your bathing clothing with you. Here is much nicer than the public swimming place nearby the bus station.

Croatia Trip - Day 4 Split

2009-12-13T06:12:00.000-08:00

Day 4, it's time to leave Dubrovnik. Our next destination is Split. Long distance buses leave from the Gruz Harbour. The bus terminal is easy to find. It's one of the most efficient bus terminals we've ever been in Croatia. If you stay in Dubrovnik, it is just a bus ride. Bus from Durbrovnik to Split leaves every half hour. It's a 5-hour journey. Beauty is all the way long. We passed by nameless beautiful spots along the coast.

The sister of our landlady was waiting for us at the bus terminal. It's the busiest place in Split. She took us to our little apartment, passing by streets with figs on the ground, hawkers selling all sorts of things outside the palace wall. Then we were at our little paradise with a lovely garden outside. A supermarket was nearby. We stocked up food for our breakfast quickly and started our sightseeing.

Split is the second biggest city in Croatia. It is also the spot of one of the unesco sites - Diocletian's Palace. It was built between the late 3rd and early 4th century AD. Emperor Diocletian built this palace for his retirement. Barbarians invaded the nearby villages in 7th century. Lots of residents fled to the palace. It then evolved to become an important commercial and residential centre.

Our apartment is close to the palace but retains its quiteness. Croatia's famous sculptor, Ivan Meštrović has its Statue of Gregory of Nin guarding the city. The statue is a giant. Then we hopped to the main streets, key squares, esplanade. The shopping street was quite empty, relative to most European cities. The esplanade was more welcome. Citizens and their families spent a lazy afternoon there. Beautiful buildings, hotels, shops and restaurants line up the Esplanade. Unfortunately, there is no tree shade. We climbed the cathedral tower to have a fabulous view of the city.

Croatia Trip - Day 3 Lokum

2009-11-21T02:08:00.000-08:00

Sun shone again though thunder and rain roared in the night. Another nice day began. Only I forgot my camera. So, pictures of the day were from my trip mate.

We took a boat to Lokum, the nearest island to Dubrovnik, from a little port. Since it was not yet high season, boat frequency was on hourly basis. The 15-minute journey took us to a little haven of tranquility. Sightseeing points include botanical garden, monastery, a fort on the island's top with fabulous view of the suurounding and a little salty lagoon for a relaxing swim after a summer walk.

Peacocks wandered around. You heard and saw them walking with pride everywhere, even next to swimmers at the jetty. We first walked to the sea with cliffs. Soon we arrived at the lagoon with beautiful crystal green colour. It seemed like an invitation, 'come into the nice cool water'. We could not decline the invitation. Like other tourists, we relaxed under the sun and enjoyed floating on, swimming in the salty lagoon. We continued the walk around the rocky coast and slowly arrived at the monastery. It is Romanesque style. Rock music was playing but the restaurant was not opened. So, we continued the day with a hungry stomach.

No problem, we were rewarded with the beautiful blossoms at the botanical garden. There were species that we did not see or know before. Some trees with strange shapes stood there for ages. Slowly we climbed up to the fort located at the top of the island. We enjoyed a gorgeous panoramic view of Dubrovnik.

Croatia is a country catered for swimmers, at least along the coast and the cities we visited. Along the rocky coast, ladder is provided to ease the going into and out of the sea. Wow, the height between the floor and water surface surpasses my height, right at a short distance from the rock. We saw lovely little fish around and creatures on the sea bed.

Then we headed back to Dubrovnik, walking through the small lanes and looked for our last dining place. The dinners in the previous two nights could be summaried as very touristic. We dined in a rustic restaurant which was highly regarded in a local magazine. The salad with roasted almond and cheese was excellent. But the main courses, prawns and local famous stewing meat were disappointing. Nevertheless, the stay in Dubrovnik was great, a very good impression on Croatia.

Croatia Trip - Day 2 Dubrovnik & the City Wall

2009-11-17T05:36:00.000-08:00

A friend nicknamed me 'Mango smuggler' because I bring Mangoes to Europe every every time because my trip partner loves it. We enjoyed it during our breakfast in the garden. It attracted the cat and dog of the owner. A surprise!

Dubrovnik was full of tourists during the day. Tonnes of tourists arrived by big vessels. Crowds were everywhere. The folks left in the late afternoon, leaving the city quite barren in the night.

Dubrovnik is a pearl of the Dalmatian Coast, a favourite city of many people. The compact town is surrounded by hills and sea. Beautiful squares, buildings, monasteries reflect its richness. It's comparable to any rich little towns in western Europe. Mightly city wall protects it. People can climb up the wall to have a gorgeous panoramic view of the town and the surrounding. Walking on the wall is very enjoyable. We walked 1.5 round trips to reinforce the memory of the impressive walk.

Dubrovnik enjoyed years of prosperity. But it was very damaged during the internal war in the early 90s. Roofs blown off, houses destroyed. The city was so beloved by many people. After the war, funds for rebuilding the town rushed in. As of today, many roofs are new. The war left hardly a trace. But climb over the wall. You can see the reminiscent, a few old roofs dotted in a sea of new roofs. Enough to imagine the destructive power of human violence. On the other hand, it's just amazing how quick it could turnaround.

Croatia Trip - Day 1 Arriving Dubrovnik

2009-11-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

I met my trip partner at the boarding gate in Munich Airport. It was a pleasant flight. We had a fairly good view of the coast prior to the landing.

Temperatures in Munich and Dubrovnik were of two extremes. It's cold in Germany but nicely warm in Croatia. We managed to change some money at the airport at a much higher rate and headed towards our accommodation.

The bus journey was enjoyable with a fabulous view of Dubrovnik. See the picture and you will agree. Our bus stopped at the bus terminal at Gruz. It's only a 10-minute ride to Dubrovnik. The owner was very nice. He gave us an apartment instead of a double room without a private shower. He also showed us ways for restaurants and supermarket. The apartment is enclosed by a lovely rose garden. We enjoyed our evening tea, breakfast at a table outside our apartment right next to the garden. It's a blessing!

We did not go to Dubrovnik the same day. I was just too tired to do so. Instead, we walked around Gruz to have an impression. We picked a terrace restaurant facing the sea. Dinner was simple. Next, we stocked food at a big supermarket (Tommy) for our breakfasts and drinks (no alcohol).

In the night we heard thunderstorm and heavy rain. But the sun shone for us the next day.

Travel Photography 4

2009-10-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

Over the years I used Nikon SLR cameras to shoot photos. Nikon cameras are good for taking fine colours and texture. Once one has got it, it is difficult to switch brands. Switching brands necessitates buying new camera and lens. Investment on good lens can be higher than the camera. Canon's edge is speed. It's the choice of most sports reporters.

Details, texture and colours are shown optimally with Nikon D70 Camera, Nikon 24-70mm and Tokina 80-200mm lens.

The best handy lens fitting most occasions is 28-70mm. It's good for taking landscape photos. I moved into digital photography in 2004. With the smaller framing constraint, 18 - 55mmis a better choice of wide angle lens. With the advance of technology, a lot of automatic digital cameras can achieve very good photo quality. I owned two. Samung L700 and Fujifilm F70 EXR acquired in 2006 and 2009. F70 EXR comes with 10x Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD. It can take quality pictures in extreme situations, e.g. low light.

Rocky Mountain by Samsung L700. Passionfruit Cheesecake by Fujifilm F70 EXR.

Wanna acquire a latest model of digital camera? See my Digital Camera Store:

Travel Photography 3

2009-10-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Shutter Speed
Shutter is a small plastic sheet that opens and closes to allow light onto the film/sensor or prevent light from reaching the film/sensor. Shutter speed controls the amount of time that your film/sensor, is exposed to light. It is measured in fractions or units of seconds. The lighter the environment, the shorter the time the shutter is needed to open for the light to reach the film or sensor, e.g. 1/250, 1/1000. When it gloomy, a slower shutter speed is required to maximise the time for the light to reach the film/sensor, e.g. 1/30, 1 second.

Focal Length / Lens

The focal length of a lens determines how much the subject will be magnified or distant. Lens are categorised as standard, wide-angle and tele. Standard lens is 50mm. It does not magnify or distant a subject. Wide-angle lens allows to take lots of things into the framing of a photo. It stretches the perspective and make the object closer to the len look bigger. Wide angel lens start from 10 and cand can be up to 28mm. Focal length higher than 28mm and below 50mm does not accommodate lots of things into the framing.

Tele lens draws distant objects closer to show details. The range starts 70/80mm. It can be up to 800mm. The higher the mm, the closer the objects is drawn for clear details.

Lens can be fixed or zoom which the focal length can vary within a range. For example, a wide angle lens ranged 10-24mm, a tele lens ranged 80-200mm. The more zoom a focal length becomes, the smaller the aperture is resulted. Say, a lens ranged 10-24mm. Its aperture value is f3.5-4.5. When 10mm is selected, the maximum aperture is 3.5. When it is zoomed to 24mm, the maximum aperture will be 4.5. The higher the aperture value, the smaller the amount of light can enter into the camera. Zoom lens with fixed aperture (i.e. whatever the focal length is the maximum aperture measure remains the same) is much more expensive than those with varied aperture.

With technology advancement, you can leave the shutter speed, aperture to digital cameras. However, you should practise more on leveraging the light, compose photos with optimal perspectives, utilise the metering and focal length to create stunning photos.

Vigevano - North Italy

2009-10-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

Vigevano is famous for its beautiful cathedral façade lying at the end of the Ducal Piazza. It is just a 27-minute train journey from Milan’s Porta Genova station. The city dates back to the middle ages. It was a thriving trading centre of textile but gave away to shoe manufacturing industry. Our first sight visit is a building formerly used as a stable. It is enormous and part of the Sforzesco Castle.

Slowly we arrived at the Ducal square. It was designed by Bramante and it is one of the most beautiful squares in Italy. The square is an elongated rectangle and enclosed with arched porticos supported by 84 columns. Cafe and shops are on the two sides. The floor is tiled. The central pathe path leads to the cathedral facade.

Sight seeing points were closed at lunch time. We and other tourists had been waiting for a long time (the staff came 15 minutes late) to climb the Bramante tower so as to have a panoramic view of the town. One roof has many chimneys – interesting!

Did you ever hear that the great Saint Francesco could talk to birds? Check out the evidence! A beautiful fountain of the saint in front of the Church of St Francesco tells!

Taking Great Photos 2

2009-10-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

Basics of Photography:
Light / Exposure
- the subject should face the light source
- exposure compensation / ISO to adjust the strength of light

Click the image to magnify it.

Composition

Metering
Centre-weighted and Multi-zone are the common metering methods. The previous assigns the greatest weight of metering to the centre of the frame. The latter measures the light density of various zones, combines the results to find the best metering. Normally, I take multi-zone. When contrast of light is emphasised, I will switch to the centre-weighted mode.

Aperture

Aperture controls the amount of light entering into the camera. One can adjust the aperture if aperture-mode is available or at manual exposure mode. It ranges from 1.4 to 32. The lower the numeric the bigger amount of light can be taken for shooting.

References:
Kindle version with big savings is available!

No theory, jargon or complicated concepts but simple instructions to shoot dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos. Wanna take a person with blurred background. Use a telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away. It’s that easy. It is written by Scott Kelby, the author of no.1 best selling book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographer.
What's more? Volume 2 and 3 are available!
The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2
The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3

Need a kindle? The latest version is available. Thousands of customers love it!
Kindle allows you to surf internet, select, download from 350,000 ebooks and store up to 1,500 copies. It can read out books, newspaper and is easy to carry around. Reading is such a pleasure! What's more? Kindle books are more cost effective and environment friendly than paper books.

Taking Great Photos 1

2009-10-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Taking great photos is not a privilege of professional photographers. You and I, whether with an automatic or high end camera, can do it. Photography is communication. It conveys what you see to the audiences. A good photo gets people’s attention because it tells a story, invites imagination, delights, freezes the moment of beauty, memories…..

Once or twice a year, I take photos when I travel. I acquire basic photography knowledge by reading, seeing others’ photos and practice. Before taking a photo, think yourself what you want to communicate, record. A purpose helps shooting great photos. Then consider the light source, composition, perspective and focal length. Most cameras optimise the combination of aperture and shutter speed well. Unless you aim for special effects, you can let the camera do its job. It’s a pleasure to share some basics and tips for taking photos.

Photography is.....

- Memory / Reporting

- Creativity / Art

- Communication

Essence of taking great photos is:
- Capture what is happening
- Convey a message
- Tell a story
- Create imagination beyond what is seen

Here are e-references on cameras, what makes a good photo, ways to take stunning photos.......

http://www.learndigitalphotographynow.com/Shoot-Digital-Pics-Like-the-Pros.pdf
Digital Photography Success
Digital Photography Secrets
Take Better Digital Photos (Photography)

Accommodation in Croatia

2009-10-13T00:55:00.000-07:00

Order: upper left to right:

Exrta dining area outside our apartment at Gruz, Dubrovnik.
Room in Zadar located in the centre.
Spacious apartment in Pula next to the Arena.
Compact apartment in Split. Outside our room is a garden with a dining table.

Referred by a friend, I tried out Hostelbookers.com for this trip. Don't be misled by 'hostel'. Registered accommodation places are private rooms with full facilities. We made our daily breakfast tea and cooked our dinner occasionally. Hostelbookers.com provides instant availability check, location map, accommodation photos, rating and reviews by guests. It eases the decision-making. I compared prices against other web-based booking sites. It's the cheapest at time of comparison and does not charge booking fee. To confirm the booking, one just needs to pay 10% deposit. No worry, you can book accommodation in over 2,500 destinations.

Our apartment in Dubrovnik is located at Gruz. It's close to the bus terminal. Arriving or departing from here is a big convenience. The dining area outside our apartment is a luxury. We had our breakfast and evening tea in the lovely garden.

We had a little garden outside our apartment in Split. The location is central, just cross a street from the palace. We accessed all tourist spots on foot.

Our room in Zadar is very central. It is private accommodation and has no sign. Thanks to a jewelery shop owner downstairs who knocked the door of the owner's mother to let us in. At time, the owner was out of town.

There are only a few hotels in Plitvice. Most accommodations are far away from the national park. We picked our accommodation from Adriatica.net. The advantage is you can contact the owners directly and save the commission charged by booking engines. Our accommodation is a few hundred metres away from the park entrance. Our host, Ivana, was very kind. The buffet breakfast was gorgeous. She drove us to the bus station to catch our bus departing before 7am.

It's a long trip from Plitvice to Pula. We were rewarded with a large apartment. It offers a fantastic view of the Arena. We cooked and dined at home every night. It's like home.

Our last accommodation in Poreč is half-board in a hotel. Choices of the dinner buffet were identical in the three nights. The central location, €59 for two and friendly staff leave no room for complaint. Overall, we are very happy with the accommodation.

Major Cities and Unesco Sites in Croatia

2009-10-11T17:23:00.001-07:00

There are many attractions in Croatia. With two and half weeks, we picked the cities along the coast to maximize the resort feel combining historical sites. Here summaries the characteristics of the key cities in Croatia:

Split – A lively city and Diocletian's palace is located (Unesco site)

Dubrovnik – The pearl of Croatia (Unesco site)

Šibenik – Gorgeous white St James church with superb sculptures (Unesco site)

Trogir – Unesco Romanesque city

Poreč– Unesco mosaics and very tourist town

Rovinji – A bit like Venice and its cathedral tower is the highest found in Croatia

Zagreb – The capital and cultural hub

Motovun – Romantic hill town with lots of artists

More About Croatia

2009-10-11T17:15:00.001-07:00

Apart from wonderful beaches scatter along the coast, Croatia is blessed with countless beautiful islands, cities with different characters, national parks and Unesco sites. The many resorts to relax, archeological remains and cultural heritage will please all sorts of holiday makers.

Here are some recommended sites to have impressions of the country and facilitate itinerary design:

http://www.croatiatraveller.com/
It provides practical information such as transport, when to go….along with cities / regions of special interests.

http://www.planetware.com/croatia-tourism-vacations-hr.htm
It shows tourist attractions by city and the surroundings

http://www.croatia.hr/English/Home/Naslovna.aspx – official site

I’ll post key cities, islands, beaches, national parks and Unesco sites in the upcoming updates.

Cheers!

Croatia Itinerary

2009-10-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

The only airline connecting Hong Kong and Dubrovnik conveniently is Lufthansa. I transited at Munich. Instead of waiting 7 hours boringly at the airport, I visited a nearby medieval town, Freising.

A bus connecting the airport and the town runs every 15 minutes. Once stepping into the town, all sorts of teddy bears greet you in every corner. Houses have different pastel colours and exist in harmony. I enjoyed the walk although it rained, Don't miss out the best bread in the world and German cheesecake (made with Quark, a white soft cheese which is unique in Germany).

We started the trip from Dubrovnik and headed up along the coastline to the north. Below is our itinerary May 2009:

~3 nights in Dubrovnik + day trip to Lokum
~3 nights in Split + day trip to Trogir
~2 nights in Zadar + visit of Šibenik
~2 nights in Plitvice Lakes
~3 nights in Pula + day trip to Brijuni Island
~3 nights in Porec + day trip to Rovinj

Hong Kong Independent Traveller - Croatia

2009-10-11T09:17:00.001-07:00

I am a Hong Kong resident but never join arranged tours. As an independent traveller my footprints have been to Europe, Asia and America. This blog is created to share tips to make independent travel planning easier and more cost-effective.

I visited Croatia in May 2009 and will share the tips on planning this trip. Croatia is part of the former Yugoslavia. It is a very popular holiday destination for Europeans and packed with visitors in summer. I chose May to avoid the crowd. It is not yet well known for Asians.

I take pictures as an amateur. If you would like to take more stunning pictures, feel free to leave comments and your email, I will send you an ebook on the tips of taking great photos.

Click here to view my photos taken in Croatia http://picasaweb.google.com.hk/meyanyeung/2009Croatia#

Valued accommodation is a key concern for independent travellers. My chosen double room accommodation in Croatia ranged between €36 and €59 (Half-board). I will share tips in the upcoming articles. Look for information of my visiting places.

Interested in learning more about Croatia? Here are some recommended books:
Time Out Croatia (Time Out Guides)
Croatia (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Lonely Planet Croatia
Best of Dubrovnik